The Deku and Uravity Summer Training Plan
by Igniting Writing
Summary: With UA breaking up over the summer, Ochaco is faced with a decision about how to use her time over the break. It's up to her to work out the best way to train herself, but luckily for her she won't be going it alone... Multi-chapter IzuOcha fic.
1. Chapter 1

The anticipation in the classroom was palpable. Mr Aizawa may have been treating it like a normal day, continuing his lecture on how to minimise property damage when out in the field in his usual dry monotone, but there was a restless mood to the class' note taking. They all knew what was coming up.

As the teacher turned his back to the students, drawing a complicated looking diagram on the board, Ochaco risked a glance over at the clock. Five more minutes! She could feel the excitement bubbling away inside of her and had to stop herself from squirming on her seat with impatience.

As she looked across the room she took in the reactions of some of the other class members. Bakugo was swinging his leg back and forth restlessly, staring intensely at their teacher as if he could bring the lesson to a close with nothing more than willpower. Tokoyami was idly scratching his beak with the end of his pen, looking deep in thought. Hagakure was… well, it was hard to tell what Hagakure was doing, what with the whole invisibility quirk and all, but judging by the occasional squeak of her chair against the floor it seemed she wasn't able to sit still either.

And almost inevitably her eyes were drawn to Deku on the far side of the room, his mess of hair sticking out from the top of the textbook his head was buried in. She couldn't see from her current angle, but Ochaco would've bet her life savings – which admittedly weren't much, but still – that his lips were moving in a non-stop pattern of mumbling to himself.

At that moment Deku's elbow knocked his pen and it rolled off his desk and onto the floor. As he went to retrieve it looked up from his desk and caught her eye, shooting her a self-conscious grin at his own clumsiness. She smiled back, amused – for all that he'd changed since she knew him, it was kind of a relief to know that he was still the same dorky, slightly skittish boy she'd first befriended.

Realising she'd been watching Deku for a few seconds longer than she'd meant to, she hastily shifted her gaze, trying to keep her face from reddening whilst at the same time forcing back any thoughts about why she was suddenly so interested in gazing at her friend. She _knew_ why, but knowing it and admitting it were two very different things and she'd rather eat her own hero costume than admit it to anyone. Nope, to everyone else he was just Deku, her friend. Her toootally platonic friend. Her I'm-not-even-slightly-romantically-interested-in-him friend, whatever nonsense Aoyama and Mina said.

She let out a sigh. Even in her head it sounded unconvincing.

Ochaco looked around the room again in an attempt to distract herself and keep her thoughts from running away from her once more. Her eyes settled on Iida, sitting at the desk in front of her, and she couldn't help but grin – usually Iida's posture was ramrod straight, but even 1A's class rep was perched on the edge of his chair expectantly. If Iida was affected by the restlessness, there was no hope for the rest of them concentrating…

"Mineta, Sero, stop gossiping and pay attention!" barked Mr Aizawa, as if on cue. "Or would you rather stay behind at the end of the day to clean up the gym?"

The two teenagers towards the back of the class both jumped in their seats, looking guilty at being caught talking. "C'mon Mr Aizawa, you wouldn't do that…" Sero laughed weakly. "It would take hours and today is…" Sero ground to a halt at the teacher's withering look. "Um, sorry. But you wouldn't, would you?"

"Don't tempt me." With that, Mr Aizawa turned back to the board and finished off the diagram. "All of you, before you leave remember your assignment. I want a full breakdown of how you would assemble a team in each of the different disaster scenarios I gave you yesterday. Make sure to use this diagram as part of your supporting evidence."

There were a few groans and a collective flurry as everyone copied the markings on the board down, but before any of them could say anything the sound they'd all been waiting for rang out – the bell signifying the end of class. Everyone looked at the teacher expectantly.

Mr Aizawa shrugged. "That's enough from me. You heard the bell – relax and enjoy. After all you've had to go through this school year, you've earned some downtime."

With that several of the class members let out a cheer for the one thing they'd all been looking forward to and there was a mad rush for the exit. Her excitement bubbling over, Ochaco laughed and joined in the throng, nudging her way past Yaoyorozu and ducking under Shouji's arm to reach the doorway. Amongst the rabble Kirishima's voice was the loudest as he yelled to everyone who could hear, "Woo! Summer break!"

-o-o-

Emerging into the sunlight, Ochaco breathed in deeply, just enjoying the warmth on her skin. After all the stresses and obstacles she'd faced since joining UA – both schoolwork and villains – it was wonderful to take a moment to absorb the feeling of freedom. She wasn't using her quirk, but she felt like a great weight had been lifted from her.

"Uraraka, wait up!" Iida's voice called behind her. She turned and saw him jogging to catch up with her, Deku alongside him and several other classmates trailing behind.

"Hi guys!" she greeted them. "I thought we were going to be in that classroom forever – did it feel like time was going slower for you guys too or what?"

Iida nodded. "I must admit, I was eager for class to end. So many opportunities over the summer to grasp with both hands!"

Ochaco and Deku shared a grin as Iida pumped his arm into the sky – it was fun to see their normally straight-laced friend get so overly dramatic.

"So what've you got planned, Iida?" asked Deku. "Are you going to be around much, or…?"

Iida straightened his glasses proudly. "My mother and father have invited me to get more involved in the family's hero business. They have offices around the country, so I will be touring them to gain experience and see how a hero agency functions on a day to day basis."

Kirishima, listening in on the conversation, joined in. "Awesome man, that sounds like a perfect way to get the inside scoop on agency life. Hey, Todoroki, aren't you doing something similar with Endeavour?"

The ice-user sighed. "Regrettably, yes. Much as it pains me to admit it, learning from him is the best way for me to get stronger."

"Pfft, don't be so serious," Mina chipped in. "It's the summer break, live a little! We've got all next year to keep training and Mr Aizawa did say we needed to take a break. I'm gonna hit the beaches and get some sun!"

Iida bristled at her laidback attitude. "As heroes in training, we have a responsibility to –"

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy!" interrupted Hagakure, causing Iida to splutter indignantly. "We can have lives outside of being heroes. Next week I'm starting a part-time job as a waitress at this new restaurant downtown – I'm so looking forward to it!"

"A part time job, huh?" mused Kaminari. "Maybe I should look into getting one too – I'm sure my quirk would help me at a hardware store or something like that and I could do with the extra cash…"

"Yeah, but you'd probably never leave," smirked Kyoka. "We'd all go on and become pro heroes and you'd be stacking shelves in some warehouse the rest of your life."

As Kaminari glared at her and the two began to bicker, Deku glanced over his shoulder at Bakugo, walking on the edge of the group with his usual disinterested scowl. "How about you, Kacchan?" he asked nervously, trying to include his childhood friend. "Are you doing anything over the summer?"

Ochaco's first thought was that Bakugo looked like he was debating whether or not to pick a fight with Deku, but to her surprise he actually answered, albeit gruffly. "My folks are dragging me across Europe. Some stupid anniversary celebration trip. Sounds like a waste of time if you ask me – who cares about Venice, anyway?"

Ochaco had to fight back laughter as her mind conjured up the absurd image of Bakugo wearing one of those stripy gondolier outfits, serenading a romantic couple on a moonlit boat ride, but thankfully the blonde-haired hothead didn't notice her suppressed giggles and the group of students walked back to their dorm block. Bakugo left for his room with a typically coarse, "Later, nerds," and one by one most of the others dispersed as well.

Ochaco debated going back to her own room and making a start on her packing for the return home tomorrow, but other than the essentials like clothes and bedding she hadn't really brought that much with her so she decided she'd do it later. Instead she flopped down into one of the comfy armchairs scattered around the common room next to Deku, who had gotten out his notebook and was scribbling away at breakneck speed.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked curiously, trying to peer over his shoulder. "You're not starting on Mr Aizawa's homework already, are you? Or is it some other school project?"

"Huh? Oh, no, not exactly." Deku shifted across to give her more space.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm working on my training schedule over the summer. All Might has given me some advice on exercises, recovery time and that sort of thing, but he wanted me to come up with the full regime this time. I think he said…" Deku paused for a moment and contorted his face, before booming out in All Might's voice, "It's up to you, young Midoriya, to forge your own way down the path of righteousness. For it is your own decisions and dedication that will unlock your true potential as a hero!"

Ochaco cracked up laughing. "That's amazing! I never knew you could do such a good impression!"

Deku scratched the back of his head, half chuckling and half embarrassed. "When I as a kid I used to practice it in the mirror all the time. I didn't mean it to be funny though – I was trying to sound inspiring."

"Why can't it be both?" she answered impishly, giving him a playful nudge and prompting a burst of laughter from him too. After her emotions had been going so haywire around Deku recently, sometimes she had to remind herself that the reason she enjoyed spending time with him so much was that he made her warm and happy inside – it was nice to just enjoy the moment together.

As their shared laughter subsided, Ochaco took a closer look at the notes he'd started making and her eyes widened. "Jeez, this looks pretty intense. No taking it easy for Mr World's Greatest Hero, huh?"

Deku shook his head, looking serious for a moment. "I don't think I can afford to relax. Everyone else in the class is so much more experienced with their quirk than I am. Reaching the top is still so far away and I know that if I take my foot off the pedal I'll be left behind…" He looked pensively at the scars on his damaged hand, lost in his own thoughts, before shaking his head and snapping back to reality. "Um, anyway, enough about me. What about you, Uraraka? You must be looking forward to going home and seeing your family again, right?"

Ochaco felt an uncomfortable knot form at the base of her stomach, her previous lighthearted mood evaporating. If just a few short sentences he'd just put into words the same deep-rooted anxiety that she'd been struggling to articulate. Now that they'd been spoken and she'd seen Deku's training plan her heart sunk. Whilst he was planning ahead, what had she been doing? Everything had been so hectic and fast-paced throughout the semester that she'd barely even thought about reaching the end. This first year at UA had been tough, but she'd always known her goal; now that the initial euphoria of the summer break had worn off and she was confronted with the question of what to actually _do_ with the next few months of her life, she felt more than a little bit lost.

Realising Deku was looking at her, she tried to sound positive. "Yeah, I can't wait to see my parents. And going home will be nice too – I feel like I've been here for so long, I can hardly remember what my bedroom looks like. Maybe I can meet up with some old school friends, from before UA and all that. Like Iida said earlier, so many possibilities!" She made an effort to smile, but couldn't quite manage it.

"Are… are you ok, Uraraka?" Deku asked uncertainly.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she tried to reassure him. "I just…" She halted, unsure whether she should continue or not, but the honest concern in Deku's eyes made her blurt it all out. "I don't know what to do. Everyone seems to be going away or has plans… And I don't really know what I want out of this summer. Kinda funny, huh?" After hearing her words Deku looked almost as forlorn as her and she immediately felt bad. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offload all my problems onto you. I'm being selfish again."

"You're not selfish!" Deku's exclamation made her yelp in surprise and she almost fell off the chair, her arms pinwheeling madly before regaining her balance. "Sorry, sorry," he apologised hastily, "but you're one of the most selfless people I know. You always go out of your way to help others – back before we even knew each other, when we first met, you stopped me from falling flat on my face, remember?"

"That wasn't anything special," she mumbled. "Anyone could have done that…"

"But _you_ were the one that did. I was so nervous that day and you made me feel better, just by being positive and friendly and… and yourself. That's what a hero does, right? Help the people around them?"

Ochaco swallowed thickly. How did he always know what to say to touch her heart? She dropped her head down, trying to keep her emotions in check, and managed a small but sincere, "Thank you." Instinctively she reached out to squeeze his disjointed hand in hers.

That was a bad idea. The second she touched him it felt like the room had turned into a sauna. His skin was rough against the palm of her hand and she could feel all the little ridges and scrapes from where the old wounds hadn't quite healed in perfect alignment. His hand felt so fragile and as lightly as she could she brushed the pad of her thumb across…

Their eyes met and she jerked her hand away like she'd been electrocuted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to – umm, I wasn't –"

"Y-Yeah. No problem."

' _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I do that?!'_ What she'd meant to be a thankful gesture suddenly meant _more_ and her mind was reeling. Staring intently at her shoes, Ochaco wished she could let the ground swallow her up – why couldn't her quirk have been something useful for escaping embarrassing situations, like teleporting or erasing memories? Iida's super-speed especially would have come in handy. What use was zero gravity in a mess like this?

The only saving grace out of the situation was that at least Deku looked just as panicked as her – his mouth hanging open and a 'holy crap I just touched a girl' expression written all over his face.

However, much to her eternal relief her phone chose that moment to start ringing and her mouth went into overdrive. "Oh, look at that, I'd better pick this up, thanks for the talk, see you tomorrow, byeeee!"

With that she practically sprinted out of the room, her face about a million different shades of red and leaving a speechless Deku behind her.

Dashing up the stairs to her bedroom, Ochaco silently thanked whoever had chosen to call her at that moment for getting her out of the hole she'd dug for herself. She glanced at the screen and saw it wasn't from a number she had saved on her contacts, but picked up anyway. "Hello?" She winced as her voice was at least an octave too high from her earlier self-inflicted embarrassment.

"Ochaco, sweetie, how are you? Is this a bad time?"

Her face lit up at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line. "Dad! No, now's fine. I didn't recognise the number you're calling from – is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine," her father soothed her, as she opened the door to her room and sat down on her bed. "Better than fine, in fact. Your mother and I have some great news: our construction firm got offered a big contract for building a new hotel in Hawaii! That's where we are right now, sizing up the foundations – I'm calling from my temporary office out in Honolulu."

Ochaco squealed. "Wow, that's amazing! I knew you'd get more business if you just kept at it. What's Hawaii like?"

"Well, that's exactly why I'm calling. How would you like to come and find out for yourself?"

"Wait, you mean to stay with you?! How?"

"The hotel chain who hired us are paying for our accommodation. It's just a small apartment, nothing fancy, but it's right by the beach and we're only a five minute walk from the town. If you want, I could book a flight for you and we can meet you at the airport tomorrow. What do you say?"

Ochaco bit her lip. "What about the money? I know you said the accommodation was covered, but if I come over won't you have to buy the plane tickets? And food? And –"

"You don't need to worry about that," her father cut her off gently. "Money's still tight, but I'm sure we'll get by. I know you're trying to put us first, and I'm proud of you for that, but this is about what _you_ want. How about it? Fancy some sun and surf with us old folks?"

"You guys aren't old," Ochaco objected. "And Hawaii sounds great, y'know? But…" Her earlier conversation with Deku replayed through her head and she recalled his words. _'If I take my foot off the pedal I'll be left behind…'_

"But?" her dad prompted her.

She made a snap decision. "But if I go with you guys I feel like I won't be focusing on my goal. UA has shown me just how many talented heroes in training there are and I've decided to use the summer to put in some serious training to get more control of my quirk. If I want to be a hero, I think here is where I need to be right now."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "You're sure that's your choice? You're not just saying that to save us money?"

"I'm sure," Ochaco answered, her voice quiet but determined.

"Well, ok then," her father relented. "You're old enough to make your own decisions, so if your mind's made up I won't try and convince you. But make sure you look after yourself, you hear? Don't train so hard you end up exhausting yourself. And don't just live on junk food, or skip meals."

"Daaad," she groaned. "I've been living on my own at UA, I'm sure I can cope."

"I'm sure you can, but that won't stop your mother and I from worrying about you. We just want you to be happy. Anyway, I won't pretend I know much about being a hero or quirk training, but I promise I'll bring back a souvenir, ok?"

"Ok. I know you're over there to work, but try and have some fun as well. And remember, I still want to treat you guys to a Hawaii getaway someday, like I promised."

Her father laughed. "Hawaii's old news now. Maybe you could buy us a Caribbean cruise instead?"

She rolled her eyes at his sense of humour. "Just take care, okay? And I hope you both have a great time out there."

"We will," he promised. "I have to go now, but I'll call you later in the week – I can't wait to hear all about what you've been doing at UA. I love you, Ochaco."

"I love you too, Dad. See you soon."

With a small beep the call ended. She breathed out heavily, feeling a mixture of emotions. Happy that her parents were finally getting rewarded for their hard work. Sad that she wouldn't see them again for a while. And filled with a new resolve to keep on striving to be the best. She had the whole summer ahead of her to get stronger and she wasn't going to waste another second on her own indecisiveness.

She lay back on her bed, her brow furrowed as she collected her thoughts. If she was serious about her summer plans, she had to be smart about it. When talking to her dad her initial assumption had been that she would have to go back home, but instead the seed of an idea began to sprout in her mind. She would have to do a bit of persuading, but if it worked it would give her the perfect foundation for her training.

Nodding firmly to herself, she set her alarm clock bright and early for the next day and began getting ready for bed. For the rest of the students tomorrow was the first day of the summer break, but not for her – for her it was day one of the _Uravity Summer Training Camp_.


	2. Chapter 2

Ochaco's footsteps echoed loudly down the deserted corridor. It was still extremely early in the morning, but she felt wide awake – she'd only ever been in the faculty's section of UA a couple of times and whilst students weren't technically forbidden from coming here she still felt faintly as though she was trespassing. It reminded her of when she'd been a little girl and snuck into her dad's study one day to test her newfound quirk.

Of course it wasn't like she was going to be scolded this time – the chances of her encountering any faculty this early in the morning were slim to none – but she couldn't help but look back surreptitiously over her shoulder in case there was anyone watching her.

She passed a few of the doors before she finally came to the one that she was looking for – Mr Aizawa's office.

"Ok," she said, speaking aloud to try and psyche herself up. "As soon as he gets here I ask myself in, make my case and convince him. It'll be a piece of cake. So long as I don't forget what I'm going to say, I'll be –"

"Who's there?"

"Gah!" Ochaco almost jumped out of her skin in surprise as the door to Mr Aizawa's office opened and his dishevelled head poked out of it. _'Why's he here so early? And why's he wearing that ridiculous sleeping bag?! Does he live in his office?!'_

He looked at her, his stoic face giving nothing away. "Uraraka? What are you doing here?"

"Mr Aizawa, what a surprise. I didn't expect to see you," Ochaco laughed nervously, trying to regain her composure.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "You didn't expect to see me… at _my office_?"

"No, I just – because of how early it is – I didn't mean –"

Her teacher sighed patiently as she got herself more and more flustered. "Did you want to come in and talk?"

"Um, yes, please," she answered meekly. Shaking his head, he gestured her into the dimly lit room and sat down at his desk, offering her a seat. As she sat, she noticed that there was paperwork all over his office and he looked even more tired than usual, his hair unkempt and his eyes surrounded by heavy bags.

Mercifully he wriggled out of the sleeping bag – not that it looked as though he'd been doing much sleeping recently. "Ignore the mess. I'm in the middle of writing all of Class 1A's end of year reports and had to pull an all-nighter."

"Really?" Ochaco enquired, her curiosity piqued. "Didn't you already give out our end of semester report cards a week ago?" Her report had been somewhat middle of the road in terms of grades, but she'd been encouraged by his final comments, which had read, 'Has shown initiative in addressing her lack of combat experience and displayed an above-average ability for co-operating with others.' Small praise maybe, but coming from the infamously scathing Eraserhead it was more than she'd expected. She'd compared her report with Deku's and his had rather harshly said, 'Needs to spend more time in class and less time in the nurse's office,' which had him fretting that UA were going to kick him out until she and Iida had reassured him.

"These are different to the report cards students receive. They're meant for staff to best plan out each student's individual learning path for the next academic year. Less about grades and a more of a detailed analysis of each of your strengths, weaknesses, areas to improve and so on. Even after students graduate we keep them for agency recommendations and comparisons with future students that may have a similar quirk. Needless to say it's all completely confidential."

"That makes sense, yeah," she agreed. "I bet plenty of criminals out there would love to get hold of that sorta thing, what with so many active heroes being UA graduates."

"Exactly." Mr Aizawa rubbed a hand across his worn out eyes and then leaned over his desk to look at her more intently. "Right, enough small talk. Mind explaining why you're here at the crack of dawn?"

Ochaco took a deep breath. Alright, just like she rehearsed the night before. "I have a request to make, if that's ok with you. I want to stay on at UA over the summer break." She glanced at Mr Aizawa to gauge his reaction, but he remained poker faced. "I've decided to use this summer to put in some major training to build up my stamina and gain more control over my zero gravity. The best place for me to do that would be here, on campus – it has the best rescue simulation facilities, the library for me to research in, the combat robots for me to practice on and even the best gym equipment to build up my fitness. I promise I'll only use it for training and I won't make a mess, or cause any trouble, or anything like that. So can you give me permission to stay? Please?"

She fell silent, relived that she hadn't stumbled over any of her words, and waited on tenterhooks as he weighed up her proposal. He did at least seem to be considering it, which had to be a positive, right?

"I'm sorry, but the answer's no."

Ochaco's head dropped in dismay as her summer plans crumbled to dust around her. "What? But why?"

"You argued your points well, but I'm turning your request down for two reasons. Firstly, your own security and safety. We can't have just one student on their own wandering around the campus – the teachers are going to be away for the majority of the summer with pro hero duties, so what would you do if you were in a test simulation and got in over your head? Or if you bit off more than you could chew in a combat drill?"

Ochaco tried to interject but he raised a hand for silence. "Let me finish. The second reason is the effectiveness of your training. You're right that UA has all the facilities you could ask for, but from observing you in class and out in the field you work best with others. If you train alone for two months, it wouldn't be nearly as effective as finding a partner or a small group and working together with them."

"Is there nothing I can do to convince you?" she pleaded. "What if I only do simulations on days when there's at least one teacher around?"

"That's not enough. The teachers won't have time to monitor you even when they're present and you'd still be on your own."

Ochaco clenched her fists. She knew arguing would get her nowhere, but was so frustrating to have a clear plan in her head only to be denied. She forced herself to take a deep, calming breath. She had to think about this rationally, using Mr Aizawa's own logic.

The answer came to her in a flash of inspiration. "What if I find someone else to train with me? Who wants to stay at UA over the summer, just like I do?"

Her teacher looked across at her sceptically. "You mean another student?"

"Exactly," she nodded enthusiastically. "That way I'll have someone to train with, rather than working alone, and because I'll have a partner together we can cover each other with any simulations we do."

"Hmm." Mr Aizawa considered her words. "Why exactly are you so desperate to stay and train? Judging by the reactions of your classmates yesterday they couldn't wait to start the summer break."

Ochaco breathed out heavily. "Because I don't want to be left behind. I know I have a long way to go to be a hero and if I don't keep improving then I'll be standing still whilst others surpass me. I can't let that happen."

"You put yourself under too much pressure," he frowned at her. "Aiming for the top is important, but it's unhealthy to set your standards so high that you don't feel you can achieve them."

She shuffled in her seat awkwardly as he appraised her – she felt as though he was looking at her through a microscope. "It's not that exactly. I just want to pay back all the people that have put their trust in me by working as hard as I can. My parents, Deku, Iida. Even you Mr Aizawa."

If she didn't know better she could have sworn that she'd seen a flicker of surprise flit across the quirk erasing teacher's face, but it was gone almost as soon as she'd noticed it. Maybe she'd just imagined it.

As the wait grew almost unbearable he finally answered her. "I'll tell you what. If – and only if – you find another student willing to continue living on campus and partner up with you… I'll allow you permission."

"Yes!" she yelled, leaping out of her chair and punching the air with jubilation. At Mr Aizawa's pointed look she coughed, embarrassed, and toned her reaction down. "Um, I mean, I'm very grateful for this opportunity and won't let it go to waste. Thank you for believing in me and for treating my request seriously."

"Don't thank me yet. You still have to find another person, remember? And since all the students are leaving today, you'd better hurry."

Alarmed, Ochaco moved towards the door. "You're right, I'd better go. Thank you again for supporting me, I promise you won't regret it!"

He inclined in acknowledgement. "I take it you have someone in mind to partner up with?"

She turned back to face him, face determined. "Yeah, I know just the person."

-o-o-

Exiting her teacher's office, Ochaco was buzzing with adrenaline. At that moment she felt like she could've taken on the whole Villain Alliance with one hand tied behind her back. She'd been proactive, pushed herself outside her comfort zone and now she had everything she needed to kickstart her training.

She was still faintly amazed that she'd managed to persuade Mr Aizawa at all – he was notorious for his uncompromising nature. But he'd listened to her and it was gratifying to be treated like an adult. He hadn't even asked who she planned to partner up with, just accepted her reasoning and trusted her judgement.

Not that it had exactly taken much in the way of judgement to make her decision. When she'd been asked who her partner was going to be she hadn't even needed to consider it – her mind had just automatically jumped to Deku. In her head it was a given, like the sky being blue or water being wet. Maybe it was ironic that her powers revolved around gravity, because since joining UA she and Deku had settled into a comfy orbit around one another's company.

And it was because of that closeness that she couldn't wait to break the news to him. This felt _right_. For too long she'd had the nagging sense that she'd been relying on Deku, whether consciously or unconsciously – now she could finally approach him as an equal.

Making her way back to the dorms, Ochaco took a purposeful step through the doorway – only to be meet with a cacophony of noise from every direction and almost tripping over an enormous set of suitcases left by the entrance.

Grimacing at her stubbed toe, she surveyed the swarm of activity around her. Caught up in her own success and the need to ask Deku before he departed, she'd momentarily forgotten that everyone else would be leaving today as well. The rest of Class 1A were in varying states of disarray; through all the commotion she managed to make out that Mina was searching everywhere for her lost tube of horn moisturiser, Yaoyorozu was fretting about how she was going to fit her enormous four poster bed out of the doorway and Bakugo was having a heated argument with two adults Ochaco could only assume were his parents.

A little taken aback by the frenzy going on all around her, she quickly flattened herself against the wall to avoid colliding with a harassed looking Kyoka, who was carrying five different musical instruments at once. Deciding that it would be a whole lot safer to get herself out of the firing line, she looked for somewhere a bit less overwhelming and spotted the ever-reliable Iida standing in the middle of the chaos, directing everyone like a traffic warden – to her amusement she noticed that he was even making the hand gestures, completely po-faced. She called, "Hey, Iida, over here!" to him and he strode across to greet her.

"Uraraka, good morning. You seem to be in a good mood. I was wondering where you were – I hadn't seen you all morning and was starting to worry you may have already left."

"Can't get rid of me that easily," she grinned. "And yeah, I'm feeling psyched up. I've got so many ideas for training this summer and I can't wait to get started!" She pumped her fist to emphasise the point.

Iida nodded with approval. "Excellent, that's exactly the right attitude. We must all do our best to be ready for the challenges awaiting us next year – though I certainly have my hands full enough at the moment, too."

"Oh, you mean with everyone moving out? Yeah, sure looks busy, huh?"

Iida grimaced. "Busy is an understatement. I was running around for almost an hour earlier after Kouji's pet rabbit escaped and I've already had to break up two arguments between Bakugo and his mother. Ever since Mr Aizawa announced the summer break yesterday, some students have been rather… unruly."

"You can't blame everyone for being excited," she shrugged good-naturedly. "It's been a long year."

"I suppose so," Iida conceded. "But as class rep it's my responsibility to maintain standards right up to the last moment. Although, speaking of which…" he paused to check his watch. "I'll be departing later this morning to catch the train home. I intended on starting with my family's agency first thing today, but my parents insisted I take the day to travel and say my goodbyes here, so I'll begin working at my father's office tomorrow."

"Wait, you're taking a day's break?" Ochaco teased, feigning shock. "What happened to maintaining standards? If you're not careful, people are going to start thinking you're lazy!"

"Perish the thought," he answered drily. "Perhaps I should show my commitment by camping out in the agency offices overnight…"

It took Ochaco a second to realise he wasn't being serious. "Wait, did you just… did you just make a joke?!" she asked incredulously. "Since when did you get a sense of humour?"

"Just because I rarely do so, it doesn't mean I'm incapable," Iida replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You should do it more often! I like this new, fun Iida."

"Perhaps, although I'm hardly likely to be a comedian any time soon," he admitted, adjusting with glasses stiffly. "But ultimately it's thanks to you and Midoriya that I've come to understand the need for some levity from time to time. After finding out about my brother's injuries, for a while it felt like I'd never be able to feel happy again."

Ochaco winced at the painful memories of how cut up her friend had been after his fight with Todoroki in the Sports Festival – it had put her own disappointment from losing to Bakugo into perspective. "We both just wanted to support you. It hurt to see you so upset and knowing there wasn't anything I could do to help."

"You did help," Iida assured her. "Just knowing that you were there for me to turn to made a difference, even if it took me a while to open up. I know that at times I can be rather… inflexible… but I truly appreciate having such steadfast friends. Thank you."

Ochaco felt a surge of warmth towards him. Iida could be so formal, but his heart was always in the right place. "You don't need to thank me, that's what friends are for. And as for Deku, he always puts other people before himself. That's just what he does."

"True," Iida acknowledged. "But he has a knack for drawing the best out of people, whatever their circumstances. He sets such a positive example that it makes me strive to match him, as both a friend and a rival."

It was a strange sensation, hearing how the boy that had inspired her so much had affected others too. It made her feel an odd mix of pride and protectiveness. "I admire him too," she said quietly, choosing her words carefully. "But for me it's kind of more than that? I think about how he works so hard and overcomes the odds every time. Every time I'm in a tough spot or I feel like I've reached my limit he's always there in my head and I try to imagine what he would do. He's just… amazing." Suddenly aware that she was dangerously close to letting her real feelings show, she hastily shifted the topic. "Speaking of Deku, have you seen him around? I had something important to ask him."

Iida paused, thinking. "I know he went for a run earlier this morning, but I think he's back now. Perhaps you could try his bedr–"

At that moment the conversation was cut to a halt by the sound of a small explosion and Bakugo's irritable shout. "I've already told you, I can carry my own stuff!"

"Stop being so stubborn and let me take the damn bag!"

Iida snapped to attention as Bakugo and his equally-feisty mother continued their war of words. "Excuse me, Uraraka. It seems I need to take on the role of peacekeeper once again."

Ochaco patted his arm sympathetically as he went over to try and break the two up. She debated whether to wait for him, but she doubted that it would be a quick resolution. And besides, her summer training plan wasn't going to reveal itself to Deku all on its own. Leaving the common room behind with a wave to Iida, she leapt up the stairs two at a time, emerging onto Deku's floor with a spring in her step and her excitement bubbling over. She couldn't wait to break the news to him.

Without pausing she knocked on his door. There were a few muffled sounds before Deku opened it, revealing a half-packed suitcase and masses of cardboard boxes on the floor behind him, and peered owlishly out at her. "Uraraka? What are you doing here?"

In her head she had it all mapped out. She would tell him about her plans for training over the summer, explain her conversation with Mr Aizawa and offer him the chance to stay at UA with her for the next few months. He would agree, they'd promise to work hard together and everything would be fine. No tension, no awkward pauses, no humiliating herself half to death like yesterday. Just talking to her friend like a normal, functioning human being.

Unfortunately, her mouth moved faster – and louder – than her thoughts. "Deku, I have something important to ask you!"

"Uwaah!" He recoiled at the volume of her exclamation and took a step back – right into one of the cardboard boxes, which promptly caused him to stumble and lose his footing, collapsing to the floor like a bowling pin.

She let out a gasp and rushed into his room to kneel alongside him. "Oh no, are you ok? That was totally my fault!"

He rubbed his head gingerly. "Y-Yeah, I think I'm alright."

She helped him into a sitting position, guiltily checking for any cuts or bruises. Thankfully he seemed unhurt, but she hung her head, ashamed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you like that."

"It's fine, honestly," he tried to assure her, waving away her concerns. "Nothing broken at least – just my dignity that took a battering."

Ochaco saw that he'd somehow managed to land buttocks-first inside one of the boxes he was packing, with his arms and legs sticking out, and she managed a lopsided smile. "You do look a bit like a tortoise stuck on its back," she admitted, trying not to be too amused at his tumble.

Deku laughed sheepishly. "I fit in the box so well that maybe you can cut down on the packing and just mail me back home."

Despite herself she snorted back laughter at his self-deprecating sense of humour. She hadn't realised how perceptive Deku could be when it came to cheering other people up, but she was thankful for his thoughtfulness. "I guess I could stick a couple of 'Fragile' stickers on the outside," she joked. "Handle with care, one partially-used hero, near mint condition."

Deku smiled too, obviously relieved she no longer looked so downhearted, and got back to his feet. "I dunno about near mint after all the times I've needed Recovery girl to patch me up. And the courier might find it tough to fit me in the mailbox."

Ochaco giggled at the idea, her previous overzealousness almost forgotten. "Mrs Midoriya, could you please sign here to confirm delivery of your son?" she quipped, making Deku break down into chuckles of his own. Knowing that she was one of the few who got to see this more lighthearted side of him was an uplifting feeling, especially considering how jittery he'd been around her back when she first met him. Even now he was mostly serious around the rest of his classmates, rarely getting involved in the boys' more raucous antics.

Feeling more relaxed, she looked around curiously – the only time she'd been in before was back when they'd first moved into the dorms and Mina had come up with the idea of showcasing everyone's bedrooms. Even with half of it now packed away in boxes he still had plenty of All Might merchandise decorating his walls.

"Man, I forgot how nerdy your room was – I really like it," she enthused, looking at some of the books that he was midway through packing.

"You do?" Deku's head shot up in surprise. "Most people just kinda roll their eyes, or say stuff like… well, you know…" He shuffled his feet awkwardly without continuing and Ochaco thought back to the little snippets he'd revealed about his childhood. He was reluctant to mention much, aside from his fascination with All Might and the world of heroes, but from what little Deku had mentioned she had pieced together that he'd been bullied quite a bit before joining UA.

Seeing his pained expression she felt an uncharacteristic surge of anger – how could anyone be cruel enough to pick on someone as kindhearted and sincere as him? – and tried to put his mind at ease. "Hey, nerdy's not a bad thing. It just means you're really into something you care about, right? To me, that seems way cooler trying to act like you're not excited by anything."

Deku blinked, caught off guard by her answer. "I… I guess I'd never thought about it like that. You're really interested in all this stuff? You're not just saying that?"

She punched him on the shoulder lightly, beaming at him. "Of course I'm interested; your room's like a treasure trove of hero stuff. Come on, tell me what your favourite is!" She started rummaging through his boxes and gestured encouragingly at him to join her.

Looking visibly more at ease, Deku scratched his head and positioned himself alongside her to root through the boxes. "Just one? That's really hard… Maybe this?" He held up a small piece of paper in a protective plastic folder. "It was the first All Might trading card I got as a kid."

Ochaco held it up to the light. "Ooh, it's got that reflective-y holographic stuff on it, awesome! I remember some of the kids in my neighbourhood used to trade these in the playground after school. What else have you got?"

He reached down and pulled out a slightly battered notebook. "Ah, this is my autograph collection." He handed it over to her and she flicked through the slightly-yellowing pages.

"Oh wow, you've got a lot," she noticed, impressed. She ticked them off on her fingers. "Kamui Woods, Air Jet, Backdraft, Mount Lady…"

"I used to collect them whenever I could, but I haven't done it since starting UA. I kinda figured it would be too weird to start asking the teachers. Do you have any autographs of your own?"

"Not as many as you, but I did get one or two. I remember being really excited getting Thirteen's when I was really young. I think it was the opening of a new bridge or something like that, not far from my home." She pointed at another box. "What about in there?"

"Erm…" He thought hard for a few seconds, before reaching across to pull out a slightly battered looking All Might action figure. "I really like this one – I got it for my seventh birthday. It has the moveable arms, see, and the retro style cape to go with –"

"Wait, what is _that_?!" Ochaco interrupted, pointing at the side of one of the suitcases Deku had been packing before she arrived. She saw a tuft of what looked like fur sticking out of the side.

Deku followed her vision and the colour drained from his face. "Nothing!" he yelped, scrambling over, but Ochaco was too quick for him. Before he could stop her she grabbed hold and pulled, revealing an old, ragged teddy bear wearing All Might's costume.

"It's so cuuuute!" she cooed, giving it a cuddle and looking at her reflection in the little beady eyes. "What's his name?"

Deku looked mortified. "I – I call him Bear Might. He's really old, so you've gotta be gentle with him – I've had him ever since I was a baby and I used to take him everywhere with me. He was the first piece of All Might merchandise I ever had."

She squealed in delight. "That's _adorable_!"

Frantically Deku tried to shush her. "Please, not so loud! The others might hear," he begged.

"Ok, fine," she relented, passing the bear back to him with a pout. "I promise I won't tell anyone, so long as you let me cuddle him every once in a while."

"Deal," he agreed shakily, cradling the stuffed animal gently in his arms as if it was a baby. Ochaco tried to keep a straight face as he packed the bear back into the suitcase as if it was made of glass, but a giggle escaped from her lips before she could stop herself and within seconds she had doubled over. Her reaction was infectious and before long Deku was laughing too – for the next minute the two of them kept trying to recover, only to fall into another laughing fit every time their eyes met.

Finally getting her giggles back under control, Ochaco was brought back to the reason for her visit to Deku's room as he turned to her. "So, um, what was it you wanted to talk to me about? Y'know, when you first knocked on my door?"

"Oh, right!" In all the fun she'd almost lost track of why she was here. "Yeah, I wanted to tell you something. I'm staying here at UA over the summer!"

"You mean to train?" he said, puzzled. "But all the teachers are going to be gone. You'd need to get approval from at least one staff member…" He faltered when he saw her victorious grin. "Wait, you mean you've got permission?!"

She beamed at him. "Yup! It was tricky, but I spoke to Mr Aizawa earlier this morning and he said yes!"

Deku gaped at her, awestruck. "Seriously? How did you manage to convince him?"

A bubble of pride swelled up inside her. She already knew he respected her, but this was different. After all her worries about never being able to catch up to him as he kept improving in leaps and bounds, seeing him blown away by something she'd done was a major boost to her confidence.

Trying to be modest, she shrugged. "I guess I managed to show him how determined I was. I want to keep getting stronger and surpassing my limits. That's not going to happen if it just sit around and wait for chances to drop into my lap – I've gotta grab 'em with both hands. I realised that yesterday, after talking with you."

Her naturally rosy cheeks went even pinker as she remembered how she'd run out of the room the previous evening, but thankfully Deku didn't bring up her embarrassment, instead absorbing her words. "That's amazing, Uraraka. I'm really happy for you. I never even thought about using UA's facilities to train."

Ochaco tensed. Now that the time had come to put the offer to him she felt strangely shy. _'Almost like asking him on a date…'_ murmured a small, snickering voice in the back of her mind. Fiddling with a loose strand of hair, she forced herself not to avert her gaze and look him in the eye. "That's not all. Mr Aizawa said that staying on my own would be too dangerous, so I would have to find someone willing to train with me. How would you like to work together?"

Later that night, Ochaco would repeat in her mind over and over the slow look of dawning comprehension that swept over Deku's face like a sunrise. "Are you… are you offering me the chance to stay here at UA all summer?" he asked tentatively, as if he was hardly daring to believe it.

"Duh, of course I'm asking you. You know my quirk inside and out, I don't know anyone who trains harder than you and, well… if I'm going to get tougher, there's no-one I'd rather team up with than you. Because you're the best."

For a moment or two Deku just stood there and Ochaco noticed that his eyes were tearing up. Worriedly she wondered if she'd gone a little overboard with the speech, even if it was all one hundred percent true. "Deku, are you ok?" she asked with concern, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just… Uraraka, I… I don't know what to say," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. " _Thank you_. Thank you for putting so much faith into me. I swear I won't let you down."

"Deku, you've _never_ let me down," she said, with all the certainty in the world. She tried to keep her face from giving away just how giddy she was and held out her hand. "So whaddaya say? Partners?"

His smile took her breath away – so grateful and honest and genuine – and Deku grasped her palm in his own. "Yeah, partners."


	3. Chapter 3

"What the Hell?! Why does Deku get to stay here over the summer and I don't?!"

Ochaco inwardly sighed at Bakugo's outburst. She should've known that breaking the news to the other classmates about training at UA would be a minefield – maybe telling them as a group hadn't been the best idea.

As Bakugo stalked towards them, eyes blazing, Deku hurriedly waved his hands. "I-It's just going to be a training thing, Kacchan. It's not like we're going to be getting special lessons from the teachers or anything like that. Besides, didn't you say you had that trip out of the country with your parents?"

Ochaco could have sworn she heard the grinding of Bakugo's teeth. "That's not the point, you little –"

"Bakugo, please, control yourself," warned Iida, his voice ringing with authority. "Midoriya and Uraraka have shown great diligence and I for one admire their dedication." He turned to offer them both a smile and Ochaco beamed back at him.

Bakugo was less impressed. "You pickin' a fight with me, Four Eyes?"

"Hey, hey, take it down a notch, buddy," Kirishima cut in good-naturedly, putting a firm hand on the explosion-user's shoulder and trying to calm him down. "Just think of it like a new challenge – with all the training they'll be doing, don't you wanna see how much tougher they get?"

Bakugo grumbled something under his breath but seemed pacified – or as pacified as Bakugo could ever be. "Whatever. Deku, you damn well better make sure you don't waste the next few months, or next time we go head to head I'll wipe the floor with you."

With that the explosion-user stomped off back up towards his room and Kirishima grinned at the look of relief on Deku's face. "Don't mind him; he's just grumpy 'cos his parents are here. I think it's great that you've both arranged to stay on – makes me want to kick my own training up a gear, y'know? When we start our second year I definitely wanna spar with you to see what you've learned!"

Deku ducked his head down self-consciously at Kirishima's announcement but looked undeniably pleased. Ochaco couldn't help but let out a little snort of laughter. "I thought you'd be used to people wanting to fight you by now, Deku. Since the Sports Festival it feels like half the class have made you their rival!"

Kirishima directed his toothy grin at her. "Hey, it's not just Midoriya – after the summer I wanna fight you as well."

"Me?" Ochaco's eyebrows shot upwards. "Why me?"

Kirishima looked nonplussed by her reaction and glanced over at some of the other classmates for support. "Why not? Training with Midoriya shows how serious you are about becoming a pro hero and you're already plenty tough."

"Agreed," said Tokoyami, stepping forward and inclining his head towards her. "There is plenty of strategy to take into consideration when fighting an opponent with control over gravity. Even with Dark Shadow's manoeuvrability I would have a hard time landing a hit without you activating your quirk."

"Plus you probably came closer to beating Bakugo at the Sports Festival than anyone else," chipped in Tsuyu with her typical forthrightness, paying no attention to the wounded looks from both Kirishima and Tokoyami.

It was an unnerving sensation, suddenly being thrust under the spotlight – Deku being issued with challenges from the rest of the class might have become a regular occurrence, but it was a new and unsettling experience for her.

Iida launched his hand into the air, unaware of her discomfort. "I too would be thrilled to face you," he announced, voice energised. "I have not forgotten that in our first combat test at UA you and Midoriya defeated Bakugo and I – a rematch shall be a perfect opportunity to demonstrate how much we have both improved since then."

"Uh, thanks Iida. A rematch sounds… fun?" She shuffled her feet awkwardly, a little unnerved by his enthusiasm. How did Deku cope with this sort of attention every day?

"Indeed. So, tell me Uraraka, what sort of training did you have in mind? Will you be working on utilising your quirks in battle? Or something more around strengthening your bodies, such as stamina or speed training?"

"Um… I haven't worked out all the details just yet. Probably a mix of combat, rescue and quirk training," she replied evasively, unsure what to say to Iida as Kirishima and Tokoyami also crowded around to hear her answer. But then again, she reflected, wasn't this what she wanted? To stand alongside Deku as an equal? If she aimed for the top, then increased competition came with the territory.

As she stood lost in thought for a second and Iida nodded sagely, beginning to rattle off advice on the importance of a varied training regime, the main door opened and Mr Aizawa stepped into the hallway. There were several noises of surprise from the assembled students and Iida rushed forward, puffing his chest out with importance. "Mr Aizawa, sir, I was not expecting you! Have you come to check our progress? Rest assured that I have everything under control. All of us have packed our belongings, I have personally inspected each bedroom for cleanliness and I –"

The teacher stifled a yawn, cutting him off mid-flow. "That's not what I'm here for." Steadfastly ignoring Iida's almost comical disappointment at all his efforts being so overlooked, he searched around the room. "Uraraka. Have you chosen your training partner?"

Overcoming her surprise at seeing the teacher in their dorms, Ochaco stepped forward, heart thumping, with Deku just behind her. He appraised them for a brief moment. "Midoriya, huh? I expected as much. Once everyone else has left I want you both to meet me by the entrance."

"Is something the matter?" Ochaco asked, a little nervous at the serious look on his face. "We're not in trouble or anything, are we?"

Mr Aizawa's lips twitched upwards in a sardonic smile. "It's nothing like that. Consider it a… guided tour."

-o-o-

Mr Aizawa granted them a little time to say their farewells as he waited outside for them. Ochaco was thankful for their homeroom teacher's understanding – after all they'd been through together over the course of the year, it felt only fitting to have one final goodbye, with everyone expressing it in their own way.

It surprised her that the usually-reserved Todoroki was the first one to come up to both her and Deku, offering a quiet but genuine, "Good luck." Kirishima had been on the other end of the scale, giving her and Deku a hearty slap on the back as he wished them the best, and Ojiro had parted with a friendly wave – to her amusement, Ochaco noticed that his tail moved in time with his arm motions.

Kaminari and Sero had teased Deku relentlessly, leaving him a stammering wreck. "Midoriya, you must be the luckiest guy on the planet. Staying on over the summer with a girl? With no teachers around? _Alone_?"

Ochaco had gone pink at the implications, but that was nothing compared to the send-off from Tsuyu and Mina, who had dragged her to one side like a manic pink tornado. "Did I hear Mr Aizawa right? That you _chose_ Midoriya as your training partner?"

"Yeah. Gotta pick someone I trust, right?" Ochaco laughed nervously, praying that Mina wouldn't pry any further.

Her prayers were shot down in flames. "It's totally him, isn't it?!" Mina whispered in frenzied excitement, practically bouncing up and down. "The guy you have the crush on! It's Midoriya!"

Ochaco was sure her blush would have been visible from space. She was _100%_ _not ready_ to be confronted with those sorts of questions and her voice was high-pitched with panic. "I – you can't – it isn't –"

She tried. She honestly tried to push her feelings down. But in the face of Mina's delight and Tsuyu's questioning look, she just couldn't bring herself to flat out deny it. Her face fire engine red, she gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Tsuyu's eyes bulged out even larger than usual and Mina did a little victory dance. "I knew it!" she crowed. "When did you first realise?"

"I…" She sighed in defeat, burying her head in her hands. "In the end of term test, when I was paired with Aoyama."

Mina let out an incredulous laugh. "Seriously? In the middle of the exam?"

Tsuyu patted her shoulder. "Probably not the best time to have a revelation about your love life," she observed.

Ochaco managed a small smile – even though her face felt like it was about to spontaneously combust, in some ways it was a relief to say something. The emotions had been building up inside her like water in a damn and now the pressure was released she felt somehow lighter than before.

"So? Are you gonna talk to him?" Mina asked, nudging her playfully.

Ochaco lifted her head back up, horrified. "I can't do that!"

"Whaaat?" Mina pouted. "Why not?"

"You did just tell both of us," Tsuyu pointed out.

"That's different! I can't tell Deku because…" Ochaco trailed off helplessly. There were countless reasons why. Because it was unfair on her parents to put her own desires before her goal to provide for them? Because whenever she didn't think about her emotions she could talk and laugh with Deku, but the second she started thinking about her feelings she turned into a blushing mess? Because she couldn't bear the thought of ruining their friendship because she wanted to push their relationship further?

Eventually, she settled on just one reason. "Because we're meant to be training to be heroes. Every time I'm thinking about him, I'm not focusing on why I'm here. And worse than that, I'm distracting Deku from his own dreams. It's not fair on him for me to drag him down like that."

Her chest was a dull ache as she voiced her frustrations and Mina's exuberance faded, replaced with a look of concern. "That's… wow. That's kinda heavy."

Ochaco managed a watery smile. "Sorry. I just… can't let my emotions get in the way. Not when there's so much at stake. He's given up his time to help me train over the summer and I won't let it go to waste."

She tried to smile wider, to convince them both that she was ok, but Tsuyu shook her head. "Do you think having friendships is a bad thing for a hero?"

Ochaco blinked, shocked by the bluntness of the question. "What? No, of course not!"

"Then why would love be any different?"

Ochaco's mouth hung slightly ajar and she found that she couldn't answer her friend's logic. The months she'd spent trying to stop her feelings from growing – had it really been counter-productive all along?

Noticing her indecision, Tsuyu just gave her a friendly smile. "It's your choice, so don't feel like there's any pressure. If you want to tell Midoriya, tell him. If you aren't ready, that's fine too. And if you want to talk to someone, we're here, ok?"

Mina jabbed her thumb towards Tsuyu. "Yeah, what she said, girl."

Ochaco leant across and wrapped an arm around them both. "Thanks. You guys give really good advice."

Tsuyu's smile was even bigger than before. "Looking after my younger brother and sister has given me a lot of practice." With that she squatted down slightly and made a leap towards the exit. "I should probably get going. My parents are coming to pick me up from the school gates."

Mina looked crushed. "No, we can't go yet! I still have about a million questions! What is it you like about him? Do you think he likes you back? Have you ever –"

Mina was cut off as Tsuyu's tongue darted out and wrapped around her arm, tugging insistently. She let out a huff. "Ok, fine, I get it. Have fun with the training. And don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, giggling at Ochaco's scarlet face, and waved a goodbye, strolling out through the door. Ochaco mouthed a fervent 'thank you' at Tsuyu for cutting short the interrogation and the frog-girl waved back, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she too departed.

Momentarily alone in the corridor, Ochaco took a second to regain her composure. It was touching that the two of them cared enough to offer their support like that. She'd become so used to being self-reliant that sometimes she had to remind herself that she didn't have to go it alone, though privately she couldn't help but be a little envious of Mina's easy confidence. If she had the same self-assuredness, could she just walk up to Deku and tell him, as easy as that?

Shaking her head to put those thoughts out of her head, Ochaco walked back into the main common room. It seemed that most of the other students had left, with just Iida remaining, and she felt a little saddened as she watched him and Deku exchanging goodbyes. All three of them were looking forward to starting their plans over the summer, but it was tinged with the knowledge that they wouldn't be together as a trio again for quite some time.

Observing her return to the room, Iida spoke up. "Ah, Uraraka. I was just telling Midoriya, my train leaves in half an hour, so I need to take my leave."

He seemed oddly subdued and Deku must have noticed too, as he tried to break the ice. "I hope your work experience at your family offices goes well. Stay in touch, ok?"

"Definitely,"Ochaco agreed. "I really wanna see what you get up to working alongside pro heroes. Send us some photos of you on patrol or something, yeah?"

"Providing my colleagues have no objections, I will be sure to do so." Iida coughed awkwardly before extending a hand. "My sincerest best wishes to you both over the summer."

Ochaco exchanged a look with Deku and snorted back a giggle – Iida could be such a dork sometimes. "A handshake? You don't need to be so formal around us!"

The tips of Iida's ears went pink. "Oh. My apologies, you are right of course."

Deku gave him an understanding smile. "I'm not sure if there's a right thing to say or anything like that when it comes to goodbyes, but… I'm really gonna miss you, Iida."

At that moment, seeing Iida's surprise and the open, honest acceptance radiating from Deku, Ochaco felt more fortunate than she could put into words. Thinking back to how she'd first met them and all the time they'd spent together over the last year, for homework or training or just hanging out like ordinary teenagers, it made her appreciate just how lucky she was to have the two of them in her life.

When he next spoke, Iida's voice was noticeably softer than his usual precise, clipped tones. "I too shall miss you both greatly."

Ochaco let out a startled squeak as Iida pulled both Deku and herself into a hug. "Take care," he murmured, just loud enough to hear. "And thank you for being such exceptional friends."

Releasing his grip on them both, he picked up his bags and strode out the doorway, offering a smile of farewell. Ochaco's voice joined with Deku's as they both called after him, promises to keep in contact and hopes for a safe journey all mingling. Iida waved back to them one last time before turning the corner and walking out of sight.

It was a bittersweet moment, but there had been no time to dwell on it. Once Iida had left they met up with Mr Aizawa and the next few hours passed in a blur of activity. True to his word, he had spent the rest of the day guiding them around the campus and showing them all that they'd need to know for staying over the summer – everything from the locations of all the training equipment storage rooms to the reprogramming instructions for the combat robots. He'd even handed them special permits to give them access to the areas off limits to them as students.

The sun was almost setting by the time they reached the USJ, the final stop on their whistlestop tour. Now that they'd almost finished Ochaco was worn out from all the information she'd needed to absorb, but she knew there was no time for relaxing.

The quirk-erasing teacher motioned to a side access door. "This is the way up to the USJ's control room. The swipe cards I gave you earlier will let you enter." He reached into his pocket and pulled his own keycard, emblazoned with the UA logo, and with a buzz the door opened, leading to a long flight of stairs.

She glanced over at Deku, who looked just as weary as her, and they followed Mr Aizawa up the steps together. Ochaco wasn't quite sure what to expect when they reached the top, but as he led them into the room her jaw almost hit the floor. Surrounding her were wall-to-wall dashboards, dials and computer screens, all flickering and whirring. In the back of her mind she wondered if Mei Hatsume from the Support Class had seen all this – she would have probably exploded out of sheer excitement at all the technology on display.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, her tiredness forgotten as she leaned in to examine the monitors – it looked like they had a live CCTV feed to each of the rescue zones. "This is so hi-tech!" She had the horrible thought of what would happen if she broke something by accident – she could work for the rest of her life and still never pay off the debt.

Deku twisted his head around, equally as impressed as he tried to take in the whole room. "It's like something out of a sci-fi movie."

Mr Aizawa held out a hand to stop the two of them getting closer. "Don't touch anything until I've explained what they do," he warned them severely. "These panels control everything in the USJ. All the zones are connected up to the main console, so you can use it to alter the temperature, lighting, or things specific to each zone."

"Specific in what way?" Deku asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"You can alter the level of difficulty for each of the zones," the pro hero explained. "For example, in the fire rescue zone you could increase the strength of the flames, or you could add whirlpools and other strong currents in the flooded area. You can even change the environmental factors. The USJ is so big it has its own microclimate, so it's possible to whip up rainclouds or gale force winds. However, I'd strongly recommend that you keep the settings at a low or intermediate difficulty level. The higher settings are only for the more advanced rescue scenarios we give to second and third year students and if you take on something beyond your capabilities the two of you don't have a safety net. You'd be risking serious injury – or worse."

Ochaco swallowed nervously. Suddenly staying to train over the summer felt a lot more real than it had done when she'd first asked for Mr Aizawa's approval. She was glad that Deku was there with her to bolster her faltering resolve.

As Mr Aizawa showed them what each of the buttons did she made sure to pay close attention and chipped in with a few questions. Deku was equally as focused, if not more so – she could almost see the gears turning in his head as his analytical mind processed all the information.

Finally the demonstration drew to a close and Mr Aizawa led them back outside into the warm evening air. "That should be everything you need to know. If you're unclear, now's the time to ask. Any questions?" Both Ochaco and Deku shook their heads and he grunted, satisfied. "In that case, head back to your rooms and get some rest – from tomorrow onwards, you'll need to work your hardest. And Midoriya?"

Deku stiffened anxiously as the quirk erasing instructor's piercing gaze fixed on him. "Y-Yes, Mr Aizawa?"

"Please try not to break anything, including yourself. Recovery Girl won't be available to heal you this time, so show some restraint."

Deku nodded vigorously. "I will. Thank you for all your help this afternoon."

"Yeah, we really appreciate the support," Ochaco chimed in. "I promise we won't let you down. When you see us again at the start of the next semester, we're going to be so much stronger – I guarantee it!"

He offered them both a rare smile. "I look forward to that." Casting his eye over them one last time he turned and walked back towards his office, Ochaco and Deku watching him go until his silhouette was swallowed by the surrounding darkness.

Deku let out a shaky breath. "Man, Mr Aizawa is really intense."

Ochaco grinned across at him as they walked back towards the dorms side by side. "Aww, he's not so tough. He just spent the whole afternoon showing us around – I think he's a total softie deep down."

"Easy for you to say – he almost gave me a heart attack when he singled me out at the end."

"That's just 'cos you're not a model student, like me," she laughed.

That prompted a grin from Deku as well and together they ambled down the path in companionable silence for a while. Ochaco broke it with a yawn as her fatigue caught up with her. "Sorry," she apologised. "I feel like I could sleep for a week."

He suppressed a yawn of his own. "Don't worry about it, I know what you mean. It's been a busy day, huh?"

"Yeah. Just sorting out your bedroom again took a while." She thought back to earlier that morning, after Deku had accepted her proposal to train together – what with him already halfway through packing up to go home, all the boxes needed to be emptied and sorted through.

"Thanks again for helping. I would've been there forever if it was just me, without you making the boxes weightless. Your zero gravity is so useful."

He face went pink at the praise and she had to fight back the pleased smile that threatened to spread across her face. _'We're supposed to start training together tomorrow,'_ she told herself in annoyance. _'I can't keep getting flustered like this.'_

Misinterpreting her silence, Deku's face dropped. "You know you didn't have to help, right?" he asked her, worry evident in his voice. "I didn't mean to make you feel obligated or anything."

This time a smile did touch her lips at his thoughtfulness and she waved away his concerns with one hand. "Hey, don't worry about that. I'm the reason you're staying, remember? It's only fair that I lent a hand. Plus, I got to see more of your hero stuff. I didn't even know they sold that much!"

Thankfully her response seemed to convince him and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, that wasn't even all of it. I've got more back in my apartment."

"More?" she repeated, dumbfounded. "How do you even fit it all?"

"Erm… I have a lot of shelves back home?" She giggled at his answer and he went red before turning back to her. "Ah, that reminds me. Did you call your family earlier to let them know you're staying on?"

"Yep, I called my dad just before lunch. It went straight to voicemail, so I guess he must've been in a meeting for work, but I left a message asking him to call back later this evening. How about you?"

Deku smiled, but Ochaco noticed that it seemed a little downcast. "Yeah, I phoned straight after we finished unpacking. I felt a bit bad for changing plans so last minute when I was meant to be coming home today…"

She felt a little spark of sympathy. "You get along really well with your mother, don't you?"

"She's great," he answered fervently. "I owe her so much and I'd never have made it this far without her. She was really understanding about me staying on over the summer too – it sounded like she was a little upset, but I think she's just happy that I've made friends here at UA." He paused, embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on about it."

"Hey, you don't need to apologise," she cut in, frowning slightly. "I think it's a good thing that you two are close; I'm the same with my parents."

"That makes sense. I remember you saying that you wanted to become a hero to help provide for them."

"Exactly. And it's because of them that I wanted to be a hero in the first place – they always encouraged me to follow my dreams. It must be the same for you too, right?"

Deku looked pained. "Sort of. I didn't develop my quirk until late and I think she felt guilty about it. I wanted to be a hero so badly and I knowing that I couldn't must have hurt her…"

His voice trailed off and he looked so vulnerable that Ochaco racked her brain for something to say to try and cheer him up. "She… she must be really proud of you though, right?" she offered, stumbling for words. "I mean, look at you now! You really are on your way to becoming an amazing hero."

He gave her a look of gratitude and again she had to fight back the heady rush, wrestling to keep her emotions in check. Oblivious to her internal struggle, Deku scuffed one of his big red shoes into the ground. "I guess so. Now I think she worries about me more than ever, but with or without my quirk she's always been there for me. She used to play at being heroes with me when I was little and took me to all sorts of hero events and signings. She was even the one that made my first costume."

Getting a grip on her jumbled thoughts, Ochaco raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, you mean the one you wore for the battle trial, when we were teamed up against Iida and Bakugo? Wow, I never knew." She thought back to the design and scrunched her forehead in thought. "It does have that homemade sorta look to it, y'know? I think it makes you look more relatable than a flashier costume would."

She grinned as she saw his face light up. "That's exactly what I was going for! I wanted to show anyone else watching that they could be a hero too."

Seeing his enthusiasm always made her feel excited too. "The green is a cool choice too – it's kinda like your trademark!"

He fidgeted with his fingers, flattered. "Thanks. I was thinking of blue and red originally, but I thought that might be a bit obvious as a tribute to All Might." Deku tugged at his sleeve shyly before blurting out, "Uh, speaking of costumes, I like yours."

Now it was her turn to feel self-conscious. "Really? I still think mine's a little skintight…"

Deku noticeably swallowed. "Err, I think it suits you well?" he ventured tentatively.

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Oh, um, thanks," she mumbled, toying with a loose strand of hair to try stop her stomach doing gymnastics. "I don't think I'll be wearing it much over the summer though – it's a pain to clean and if we're training all the time just some plain gym clothes will do, right?"

They reached the end of the pathway, the dorms now right in front of them, and entered together into the common room. It seemed a lot bigger without everyone else around – she was so accustomed to sharing it with the other students that it felt almost alien without them. Looking around the unoccupied space she felt a pang of momentary loss and let out a sigh. "It'll be strange having the whole campus to ourselves, huh? I'm gonna miss the others."

Deku took a seat next to her and rubbed his chin reflectively. "Yeah, it seems so much quieter. I've kinda gotten used to having everyone else around. But that doesn't mean it has to be lonely. We still have each other and we'll keep cheering one another on, right?"

She looked up at him and her heart clenched at the honest, heartwarming smile he offered her – in so few words he could be so uplifting. "Yeah!" She pumped her fist in the air and, newly energised, leaned in closer to him. "So, what ideas have you got for our training tomorrow? You still got that schedule you showed me yesterday?"

Deku raised his eyes to the ceiling in thought. "The original schedule was for solo training exercises, but now that we'll be training as a pair it opens up new possibilities." His words came out faster and faster as he began to mumble. "With two of us we can try more advanced rescue scenarios to test our teamwork and use some of the different zones in the USJ – although we'll need one of us to go up to the control room first to sort out the settings, like Mr Aizawa showed us earlier – and there's also the potential for us to try and –"

"Geez, slow down!" Ochaco laughed.

He rubbed the back of his neck, abashed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to start rambling. Basically, I was thinking of using tomorrow to set a sort of baseline – like how Mr Aizawa did with us back on our first day."

Ochaco thought back. "Oh, you mean the tests he got us to do? Like sprinting, long jump, throwing the ball as far as we could and all that?

"Yeah, that sort of thing. If we work out our current limits and set some targets, it'll be a good way to track our progress and maybe see how our quirks can work together in different situations."

She grinned, impressed by his reasoning – he always seemed to have a strategy in mind. "Sounds like a plan! But I did have one other thing I'd like to add…" She looked across at him and steeled herself, taking a deep breath. "I want to fight you."

Deku's made a choking noise, panicked. "You what?!"

She winced at her choice of wording. "Not fight like a fight to the death or anything!" she hurriedly amended. "More like… sparring. When Kirishima was talking earlier, it got me thinking. I need to push myself, to see how far I've come and how much further I still have to go."

"And you… want me as your opponent?" He voice was small and uncertain and she noticed he was twiddling with his fingers.

"Yeah. It's like…" She struggled to put her emotions into words, dimly aware of how her voice had taken on an almost pleading tone. "It's like I said before – you're the best. And I want to see how I compare with that. I _need_ to see if I can compete with you as a rival!"

Deku seemed taken aback by her outburst, but to her relief she saw him nod slowly. "I… ok."

She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. "You mean it?"

He half-chuckled. "I don't think I'd be brave enough to say no – you're kinda scary when you get so intense."

"Thanks for agreeing," she whispered, suddenly embarrassed at how adamant she'd been. "I didn't mean to force it on you or anything."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He grinned across at her and she felt a little shiver down her spine as she saw the change in his expression – more confident, more _heroic_. "I think you're right – it'll be different to test myself against you, but I'm sorta looking forward to it."

Ochaco clapped her hands together, shooting him back an upbeat grin of her own. "Then it's agreed! Deku versus Uravity – I wouldn't miss it for the world!"


	4. Chapter 4

The training ground's climbing wall towered above Ochaco as she attached the last safety line, pulling her UA tracksuit top tighter around herself to ward off the late afternoon breeze. She suppressed a shiver, more from the nervous excitement surging through her body than the cold, and focused on the wall in front of her – the last of the tests she and Deku had faced today.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself she methodically tested each knot to make sure they'd been fastened correctly and, once she was satisfied, waved upwards to signal she was prepared.

Far above her, from the platform on top of the wall, she heard Deku call down. "Are you ready to start?"

"Yeah, ready when you are!" she shouted back.

"Ok, on your marks…"

Ochaco scanned the wall one last time, searching for the easiest way up – the little outcroppings to gain purchase were all awkwardly positioned at irregular intervals.

"Get set…"

Settling on a path that looked slightly less treacherous than the others, she puffed out her cheeks and squatted down on the balls of her feet, waiting intently.

"Go!"

Immediately she sprang into action and dashed over to the edge of the wall, where a mannequin had been positioned. When they'd been talking through ideas for the training last night Deku had made the point that they should try and make the tests as realistic as possible, to best replicate a hero's work. On its own reaching the top of the climbing wall would have been easy for her, since she could just use her zero gravity and float to the platform, but the challenge was to get to the top carrying an unconscious civilian with neck and head injuries, hence the need for the dummy.

That made the climb a lot more complicated. Using her quirk to levitate the dummy was out of the question, as without proper bracing its head would loll around dangerously. Not to mention the risk of it hitting an outcrop of the climbing wall as she floated it up. So that meant she had to climb her way up the old-fashioned way.

Carefully she lifted the mannequin onto her back, tying some rope under its arms and clipping it to her safety line to secure it, and hoisted herself up onto the rocky outcrop. Even in the first few moments Ochaco could tell this test would be harder than she'd first assumed – the dummy was heavy and the handholds were spaced far enough apart that it forced her to stretch for the next one. She hauled her way up, letting her legs take as much of the strain as she could, but with every motion the mannequin on her back was weighing her down. At this rate she was going to run out of stamina by the time she got halfway.

' _This isn't working,'_ she thought to herself, frustration building at the lack of ground she was covering. _'To reach the top quickly I need to use my quirk, but I can't use it on the dummy unless I find some way to support it…'_

After a few agonising moments an idea popped into her head. Making a snap decision, she found a sturdy pair of footholds and pressed herself close to the wall, releasing her grip with her hands. This was going to take some improvisation – she wished she'd taken a few extra seconds at the bottom of the wall to plan, rather than grabbing the mannequin and climbing straight away. She could almost hear her parents speaking in her head, chiding her impatience.

Taking care not to jostle the mannequin on her back she unzipped her tracksuit top and removed it. Grasping one end in her teeth to hold it steady, she held the other end in her hands and pulled it tightly around the mannequin's neck, forming a makeshift neck brace – it wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. At the same time she pressed her fingertips against the dummy and activated her quirk.

As the dummy became weightless she pulled on the rope attaching it to her and positioned the human-shaped figure tighter against her back so she wouldn't have to worry about making its 'injuries' any worse. It helped a little, but even weightless the dummy was still cumbersome and its limbs jutted out awkwardly.

Sucking in a gulp of air and trying to ignore the pressure building in her leg muscles, Ochaco clung tightly to the wall and resumed climbing. The exertion was causing her fringe to stick to her forehead with sweat and she was dimly aware of Deku's shouts of support from above, but right now all her attention was on keeping her grip and searching for the next foothold to use as leverage.

She banged her elbow painfully against a jagged edge on the wall and cursed under her breath as she realised she'd come to a dead end – the next handhold was too high for her to reach and she couldn't risk jumping with the mannequin on her back. She tried to visualise the view of the wall from the bottom, when she'd been looking for the best route to the top. Where had she gone wrong?

Calves straining as she held herself in place, she realised her mistake and retreated down a few notches, angry at herself for wasting valuable time. If this was a real injured person this sort of decision making could be the difference between life and death.

Shuffling sideways she finally found the path she'd originally chosen and began to make progress again, trying to ignore the burning of her muscles. Straining with all her might to keep her legs from buckling beneath her, she edged her left foot across to find another ledge and hauled herself up.

How far from the top was she now? It was hard to guess, but she had to be close, right? She didn't dare look up any further than the next handhold in case the sweat from her forehead trickled down and obscured her vision.

"You can do it, Uraraka!" She heard Deku's voice cheering her on but couldn't tell how close he was with her heartbeat pounding in her ears. "You've almost made it! Keep going!"

' _Just one more pull,'_ she thought to herself grimly, her arms aching as she lifted herself up for what felt like the thousandth time. The same thought repeated in her head over and over as she dragged herself up another handhold, and another.

Yet another pull upwards, clinging on with her fingertips. And just when the burning in her arms became an inferno, she felt a strong hand clasp her wrist. She saw Deku's encouraging face and in a last burst of energy scrambled upward, reaching the top and flopping onto the platform like a fish. It wasn't the most dignified arrival, but she was far too tired to care about anything other than the sweet relief of not having to climb another inch.

Gasping for breath she gratefully accepted the water bottle Deku offered her, taking a long and unbelievably welcome swig. "How… did I… do?" she panted.

Deku knelt down alongside her and checked a stopwatch in his hand. "Five minutes and forty-eight seconds," he told her, offering a supportive arm. "That was a good time."

Ochaco managed a tired laugh and with his help got back to her feet, wobbling a little but just about keeping steady. "I got stuck part way up. Stupid of me."

Deku helped her untie the knots keeping the dummy in place on her back. "You still made it up here fast. That was a good idea to use your quirk on the mannequin and keep it on your back to stop it floating away."

"You could tell I was using my quirk from all the way up here?" she asked, startled.

His cheeks went pink. "Umm, it was too far away to see for sure, but the way you were climbing changed part way up. You started moving easier, less jerky motions, so I figured that you must have done something with your quirk to make the difference."

Ochaco took another drink of water, quietly marvelling at his powers of observation. In some ways they were even more impressive than the crazy bursts of physical strength he was capable of.

As she caught her breath Deku pulled on a safety harness and handed her the stopwatch. "I guess it's my turn now?"

She passed him a safety line for him to clip onto the belt around his waist. "Yep. See you back up here soon!"

He carefully stepped over the brink of the platform to abseil down it, the mannequin propped on his back, and gave her a nervous grin as he disappeared over the edge. She tried to ignore the little flutter in her stomach at the warmth of his smile – she'd been so focused on their training that she'd managed to keep her feelings around him in check all of today, but little moments like this were a reminder that they were still unresolved. In a strange way confessing to Tsuyu and Mina yesterday had helped a little – now she felt… not liberated exactly, but less constrained, less like she had to constantly fight to keep her emotions in check. She still hadn't decided if or when she was going to act on them – she felt her face heat up just at the thought – but that was a bridge to cross another time. For now, she had her training to concentrate on.

Inching forward she peered over the platform edge and watched as Deku reached the bottom, wondering how he'd approach the challenge. Raw strength alone wasn't the answer here. She knew he was capable of leaping all the way to the top in a single bound – she vividly remembered how he'd leapt the height of several stories to slam the giant robot back in the entry exam – but he'd ended up ruining his legs so surely that was out of the question. Would he do the climb without using his quirk at all?

Once he was in position she called down to him. "Are you ready?" Seeing him raise his arm in a thumbs up position, she held the stopwatch close. "On your marks… Get set… Go!"

Deku's first action was to kneel down and remove his tracksuit top to secure it around the dummy's neck, just like she'd done – evidently he wouldn't make the same mistake she had of doing it halfway up, though a small voice in the back of her mind insisted that even without prompting he wouldn't have made such an error.

But then Ochaco frowned to herself, puzzled, as Deku didn't secure the dummy against his back, instead hoisting it into an improvised fireman's lift with the mannequin draped over one of his shoulders. It would mean that he'd be able to move his torso more easily, but that he'd need one arm to hold it close to him. Was he going to attempt the climb one handed?

If his choice of hold had been unexpected, what Deku did next absolutely floored her. His body began crackling with sparks and he squatted down, keeping a firm grip on the mannequin. _'No way,'_ she thought to herself, eyes wide. _'He's not going to…'_

"Full Cowl!"

In a blur of motion Deku leapt upward, so fast that she almost missed it. In a single jump he'd leapt about four stories high, reaching almost a third of the way up the wall, whilst cradling the mannequin's head and neck protectively. The whole wall shook slightly from the impact and Ochaco nearly dropped the stopwatch, mouth agape. It wasn't just the height he'd achieved, it was the precision – he'd clearly landed exactly where he'd aimed and he didn't seem to have suffered any of the injuries he used to receive when wielding his quirk.

From his position on the wall Deku began to climb – though climb was almost the wrong word for it. His movements were so agile, swinging a leg up onto the next foothold with his body still cloaked in sparks, and in one continuous motion he arced up his free hand, reaching for a higher ledge. The resemblance to Bakugo was uncanny – he had the exact same explosive power matched with control.

Ochaco watched in stunned silence as Deku surged up the wall with barely a pause. It was incredible, like watching a monkey swooping through the treetops of a rainforest. He even let out a shout of excitement as he soared through the air from one edge of the wall to another.

Finding her voice at last she yelled out encouragement to him and with one final bound he sprung up onto the platform, stumbling a little as he landed.

"Deku, that was amazing!" she cheered, rushing over to help him put down the dummy. "The way you jumped up from the ground, it was like a rocket!"

Deku flushed at the praise. "Ah, it wasn't all that special. I put too much force into that first jump and nearly went overboard – if I hit the wall any harder I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on. I got lucky in the end."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding? You were almost flying you made it up here so fast!"

He went even redder but accepted the compliment with a shy smile. "Thanks. So, uh, what was my time?"

Ochaco looked down at the stopwatch in her hands. "You did it in – whoa, two minutes and twelve seconds?!" She gaped at him in astonishment. He hadn't just beaten her score; he'd obliterated it in less than half the time it took her.

"Really, that fast?" Deku asked. To her amazement he only sounded mildly surprised. "Huh. I guess all the training I did in my internship must've paid off."

"Duh, of course it did! Either that or you're part mountain-goat or something!"

Deku almost choked on his water bottle and after Ochaco snorted back laughter the two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence, taking in the view from the top of the wall. The training grounds looked so small below them, but even so the scale of the UA grounds were awe inspiring, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Despite the tiredness of her muscles Ochaco felt privileged to be her. And even if it was just a tiny step, today she had made some progress towards her goal.

Deku stretched his arms above his head, gazing out over the campus from their vantage point. "I think we made some good headway today. I hadn't realised how many areas I could still improve."

"Same here," Ochaco hummed in agreement. "Now that I have a better idea of my weaknesses, I can work harder to fix them."

Deku stifled a smile. "You almost sound like Iida."

She shot him a mock glare. "Hey, you're more like Iida than I am – you started as class president before he took over, remember?"

"I – that didn't mean I was any good at it!" he protested.

She laughed at his reaction and took another swig from her water bottle, enjoying just being in his presence. Although she'd been confident yesterday, at the start of the day she'd been apprehensive about training alongside Deku. She would've hated to look weak in front of him – or even worse, to hold him back from his own training. And there had been a few moments where she'd been fully aware of the power gap between them. Certainly in the tests relying on speed or power he had been formidable; their very first trial of the day had been a punching strength test, with an electronic monitor attached to a punching bag to measure the force, and she'd almost jumped out of her skin when he'd hit the punching bag so hard that the monitor exploded. His horror-stricken expression at already breaking something on the first day of training, despite Mr Aizawa's stony-faced instructions yesterday, had her torn between laughter and sympathy.

However, much to her relief she had mostly managed to hold her own, and to her surprise even managed to outscore him in a couple of the tests. Her zero gravity had helped give her an advantage in the ones involving evasiveness and reconnaissance and it was gratifying to know that she could at least keep up with Deku, despite his incredible power.

But throughout the day there had been a restlessness inside of her. Keeping up with Deku wasn't enough for her. She didn't want to just keep up with Deku; she wanted to prove herself his equal. And in her mind there was only one way to do that, no matter how daunting it seemed – to fight him, one-on-one, and come out on top.

She glanced across at him. This was it – the moment of truth. "I – I think that's enough for a break. We still have one test left."

"Ah, right. The sparring." Deku looked back at her, his eyes hard to read. "You ready?"

She clasped her hands into fists to stop them shaking. "Yeah."

He nodded briefly. "Then let's go."

The two of them descended down the wall, Deku seemingly lost in his own thoughts, and Ochaco could feel the tension mounting inside her gut like a coiled spring. They reached one of the training zones which had a raised podium, similar to the arena from the Sports Festival, and they paused at the edge of the ring.

Ochaco broke the silence, trying to keep her voice steady – panicking now was the last thing she needed. "Are you ok with the rules we talked over yesterday. The first one of us to land outside the boundaries, to be knocked out or to submit loses?"

Deku nodded his assent but looked a little troubled, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "Ok. But, uh, before we start, I – well –"

She looked across at him, surprised by his sudden nervousness. "Is everything ok, Deku?"

Deku tugged at his sleeve, struggling to find the right words. "I just – I wanted to say… after you challenged me to fight with you… I promise I won't hold back!"

She took an involuntary step back at his sudden declaration. "W-Wha–?"

"Last night I don't think I was fair on you. I don't want you to feel like I'm just sparring with you because you want me to do it – I want to challenge you as well!"

"O-Oh." Ochaco's cheeks flushed pink. Deku _wanted_ to face her? Looking at him closer, she could see something in the way he held himself, in his face, in his eyes. It reminded her of the way he had looked at Todoroki in the heat of battle – the competitive spirit that signified a rivalry. "Thanks. That's… that's good to hear. I… I won't hold back either!"

He flashed her a shaky thumbs up. "Good luck, Uraraka."

She offered him an equally shaky grin. "You too, Deku."

Together they stepped forward and took their positions on opposite sides. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she thought through her strategy for what felt like the thousandth time. She had started planning yesterday evening; after they'd finished mapping out their training regime together she had gone back to her room, sat at her desk and tried to think of every tiny thing that she had to give her the edge over Deku.

It hadn't been a long list. As she'd stared with increasing anxiety at the few lonely looking bullet points, written in her neat handwriting at the top of the page, she had the horrible sensation that she'd bitten off more than she could chew. Deku had her beat in just about every category: speed, strength, endurance, combat experience. He was versatile, able to fight at a distance or hand-to-hand. Even the terrain was against her – there was nothing on the training grounds they'd agreed to use that she could use her zero gravity on and she knew that Deku wouldn't fall for the same rubble trick she'd attempted against Bakugo. It had seemed like she'd set herself an impossible task and a tiny, cowardly part of her had wanted to throw in the towel before she'd even started.

But she'd shaken her head angrily to banish those negative thoughts before they could take hold and tried to look at where she did have an edge. Formal martial arts training was one – her internship with Gunhead had taught her to grapple with opponents bigger than her and use their momentum against them. Whilst Deku's shoot style kicks were impressive, they were also one of his very few vulnerabilities – she'd heard a few of the UA teachers mention to Deku during training that he tended to overstretch, leaving himself open.

And, secondly, she was used to fighting in midair thanks to her quirk. Deku was incredibly manoeuvrable, but if she could draw him into an aerial fight it would nullify much of the power of his shoot style, since he wouldn't have the ground to kick off from. From there, all she needed to do was use her quirk on him and push him out of the ring. In theory, at very least.

Her thoughts were churning almost as much as her stomach, but she was here, she had a plan and she wasn't backing down. Despite her nerves, she _wanted_ this. She wanted to win so badly that it was a physical ache.

"Ok, on the count of three," Deku answered. He squatted down into a fighting stance. "One…"

Ochaco rocked back on the balls of her feet and settled into her own stance, doing her best to stay limber. "Two…" she called out, a tiny bit proud of the resoluteness of her voice.

They locked eyes and both shouted it at the same time. "Three!"

The second the word had left her lips Ochaco wasted no time, pressing her fingertips together and activating her quirk in readiness to push off with her feet to fly into the air. She was anticipating that Deku wouldn't wait to close in and swing at her with his shoot style, so the quicker she was airborne, the quicker she could get out of range and force him to fight on her terms.

But to her surprise Deku wasn't leaping towards her. Instead green sparks were shimmering around one of his arms, outstretched towards her with his finger and thumb poised as if he was about to flick…

Ochaco realised his intent and her eyes widened. "Release!"

She dropped down and her feet hit the ground – right as Deku yelled, "Smash!"

A blast of air pressure hit her head on, the force almost knocking her off her feet, and she stumbled backwards. She nearly lost her footing and came perilously close to the edge of the ring, but she just barely managed to regain her balance in time.

Her heart beating about a thousand times a second, she let out a relieved sigh. That was much, much too close – if she had been half a second slower at releasing her quirk she would have still been weightless and swatted out of the ring like a fly. She'd spent so much time considering her own plan that she hadn't even considered that Deku might have a countermeasure to her zero gravity. She should've known that he would have something in mind to stop her getting into the air – he was Deku, he _always_ had a plan up his sleeve. Now she needed to think of a new strategy of her own, and quickly.

Looking across at Deku, she could see that he was still in the same stance, finger and thumb poised. It looked like he hadn't done himself any serious damage either; he was wincing a little, but the days when he tore his body apart every time he used his quirk were long behind him and Ochaco felt her resolve strengthen. She knew how much he had improved – now it was her chance to show him her progress.

Deku's finger flicked forward again and another gale-force burst of air came her way, but this time she was ready for it. Hunching her body over as low to the ground as she could, she took the wall of air head on, covering her face with one hand to avoid getting dust in her eyes. Although the attack buffeted her it couldn't knock her back and she smiled tightly. She wasn't going to get caught unaware a second time.

As the wind pressure lessened she began to move cautiously towards Deku, awaiting his next move. To her surprise a third blast of wind hit her and she held her ground, digging her heels into the surface of the arena for extra purchase.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she straightened up slightly, the wind dissipating. It wasn't like Deku to continue with a strategy when it wasn't working. Now that his finger flicks no longer held the element of surprise he must know that he wouldn't back able to knock her out of the ring. Was he trying to keep her at a distance because he saw her quirk as a threat? It sounded ridiculous in her head – Deku, threatened by _her_? – but he seemed reluctant to let her get any closer and engage in a close range fight. As of right now it was a stalemate and the two of them circled each other warily, eying each other from across the arena and waiting for the other to make the next move.

As the seconds stretched it was Deku that acted first. With another shout of, "Smash!" he fired a fourth shot at her. But this time he had misjudged and directed the air just a fraction too far to her right.

' _Now's my chance!'_ With a nimble sidestep she pivoted left to avoid it. For a split second Deku was caught off guard and Ochaco seized the opportunity, dashing forward. She wasn't going to get a better chance than this to close the distance and use her quirk on him – she had to take advantage and end it right now.

Seeing her closing in, Deku's eyes widened in alarm and he launched forward to meet her head on, aiming a knee strike at her stomach. She blocked it with her palm, hoping to grab it to activate her quirk, but Deku withdrew it quickly in anticipation and didn't let up, jabbing at her repeatedly with a barrage of punches, trying to keep her on the defensive.

It took everything she had to keep up, frantically ducking, weaving and blocking, but somehow she managed. He managed to get a few solid hits on her – a right hook that impacted against her shoulder made her hiss in pain and a particularly fierce kick almost knocked her off the edge of the ring as she tried to catch his leg – but she was competing with him. Her hair was wild and her T-shirt was sticking to her with sweat, but this was _exhilarating_.

And suddenly Deku sent his right leg arcing towards her in a powerful but overly extended roundhouse kick. Before she could think her instincts kicked in – with a single motion she blocked his leading leg with her forearm, ducked down low and swept his standing leg in a textbook counter. Gunhead would've been proud – she'd lost count of the amount of times he'd made her practice that technique.

Grunting, Deku fell to the ground. Before he could draw his leg back and scramble away from her Ochaco moved, reaching her arm out and brushing her fingertips against his ankle.

"Got you!" she cheered breathlessly. Her quirk activated, Deku floating upwards with a startled yelp and Ochaco felt a surge of elated triumph. She'd done it! Against all the odds she'd managed to find a way to win! Once he had floated outside the boundaries, she could release her quirk and –

"Smash!"

Ochaco's thoughts of victory were cut off as Deku hurtled at her like a human cannonball. Her eyes widened as she realised that he'd fired one of his finger flicks into the air – because his body was weightless it had propelled him in the opposite direction, straight towards her.

She brought her arms up to defend herself but it was too late. His body slammed into her midriff and even though he was weightless the collision knocked the wind out of her, causing her to momentarily lose her focus. Her quirk deactivated and that was all the invitation Deku needed. Whilst she was still reeling he ducked inside her guard and clutched hold of her wrist. Frantically she tried to grab him to reactivate her quirk, but it was too late – with a wordless shout he threw her over his shoulder. The edge of the arena loomed large and before she could even blink she had sailed past it. With a _thump_ she landed, flat on her back and outside the ring.

And just like that it was over. Ochaco lay dazed and panting on the ground, mouth agape in despairing disbelief. In the space of less than five seconds she'd gone from the verge of victory to an overwhelming loss. It was nothing short of crushing – this had been her one shot to prove herself and to come so close, only to lose because of her own lack of focus, was agony.

From behind her she heard Deku's footsteps and wished more than anything she was on her own. She didn't want him to see her like this, defeated, raw and vulnerable. Despite everything she'd still come up short and the inferiority was like hands around her neck, strangling her.

She braved a glance at him and her heart clenched painfully as she saw the expression on his face – he was staring at her with something that was almost wonder. "Wow…" he breathed out, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. "That was… wow! How did you learn to fight like that?!"

If anything the awe in his voice made her feel even worse and the hands around her neck tightened. She clenched her jaw and willed herself to smile. "Well, guess you won fair and square…" Her voice faltered and she hated that she couldn't entirely mask the dejection in it.

He laid a concerned hand on her shoulder. "Uraraka, it's ok –"

Something brittle inside her cracked. "No, it's not ok!" she interrupted. She felt bad for raising her voice, but no words of sympathy could lessen the sting of her loss. She'd been able to hide the pain of defeats before, this time was different. This time it was Deku that had beaten her and it felt like it mattered so much more.

He flinched a little at the sound of her voice, but didn't let go. "I'm sorry…"

She swallowed thickly, already regretting her outburst. "No, I'm the one that should be sorry. I… The whole point of this training camp was to push my limits. I promised my family I'd succeed for them, to be the best hero I could be to give them a happy life, but so far, every time I've needed to win, I've not been good enough…" She let out a sigh of frustration and slumped forward.

His grip on her shoulder tightened a fraction. "Does… Does it really mean that much to you? Beating me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. If I'm aiming for the top, that means beating the best. Sometimes I feel like I don't even belong here at UA… Everyone else is stronger, or faster, or tougher, and I'm just… me."

"You're not _just_ you." He sounded bewildered, as if he couldn't understand her way of thinking. "You're the one that made my hero name mean something – without you, I'd never have come this far. You get so hard on yourself, but… you're so determined, it's incredible. You were the one that had the idea for this summer training, not me. Everything you're doing to try and improve… It makes me want to do my best as well, to match you."

Uraraka felt her face heat up and she dropped her gaze, biting her lip. She didn't feel worthy of his praise. "I still lost though," she mumbled. "I was the one the challenged you. It was my only shot and I couldn't win. Nothing can change that…"

Deku sat in silence for a moment, hunched over in thought. "Who says it's your only shot?"

"Huh?" She glanced sidelong at him, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well… why can't we have a rematch?"

Her head shot up and she looked at him in disbelief. "A rematch? You mean you –?"

"Sure," he nodded, smiling enthusiastically as he warmed to the idea. "I know we only planned the one fight, but there's still a bit more time before the sun goes down and I really wanna see more of those counters you used. That leg sweep totally got me and it'll help me improve my footwork – which I'll need when I'm fighting more agile opponents – and if I can –" Catching himself as he began rambling he stopped in midflow, embarrassed. "Umm, unless you'd rather not?"

Ochaco didn't think she had ever wanted anything as much as she wanted to hug him in that moment, but just about restrained herself to reaching for the hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. This boy was just – how could he be so thoughtful and sincere and _wonderful_? "T-Thanks," she whispered, offering him a small but genuine smile. "A rematch sounds… perfect. You always know the right thing to say."

Deku flushed, quickly withdrawing his hand and laughing nervously. "I, uh, I don't know about that… I just wanted to help. So, you ready for round two?"

She flashed him a grin, a newfound wave of confidence surging. "Definitely. And this time, I won't lose!"


End file.
